Check valve



. Aug. 31, 194s. D. 5. GRISWQLD 2,328,009

HEcK VALVE Original Filed May l, 1940` Patented' Aug. y31, 1,943

UNITED STATESI PATE 'r ovvioN canon vALvE Donald G. Griswold, Alhambra, Calif., assignor to glyiion Manufacturing Company, Alhambra,

Claims.

, The present inventionrelates to check valves,

and more particularly to a self-governing check valve designed to operate efiiciently and quietly, and to open automatically whenever the pressure on the inlet side of the valve is greater than that on the outlet side oi the valve and to close automatically when these pressure conditions are reversed.

One of the most common objections to known types of check valves is that they have a. tendency to slam closed whenever there is an interruption of iiow or change in pressure. Such valves are usually constructed so that the closing member or valve disc, whether it be hinged or movable bodily, travels in a direction opposite to that of the normal flow of duid to eiectclosing of the valve. In other Words, the closing member travels in the same direction as the attempted return how of iiuld and the inertia of the uid causes the disc to slam or suddenly strike against its seat. It is this sudden seating, resulting in the sudden stopping of the moving return stream,

f that sets up a back surge or a knock producing what is commonly referred to as line shock or water hammer. Aside from the undesirable noise incident to hammering, `there is the more serious danger of the pip bursting from sudden excess pressure or breaking as the result of vibratory strains imposed by repeated, shock. This situation commonly occurs when a conventional check valve is used at the end of a long water line. Furthermore, when such check valve is used at the discharge of a pulsating pump, the

attempted return iiow and the closing member t has thus been caused to travel in thesame direc- Stated dif--l member of the present check valve is independent of the back surge or return iloW, and contrary to the action of other valves, it does not suddenly cut ol the return dow but does act directly thereon, closing slowly and positively at such a rate as to gradually,v cut off the return flow; thereby avoiding damage to the valve and the pipe line.

One important advantage oi the above action is that in a pulsating line, the valve disc or closlng member normally does not have suiiicient time to respond to the rate of flow change and it, therefore, remains partially or fully open Without the disc touohing'the seat on every pulsation of the pump, as is the case with an ordinary type of check valve. in normal operation the present valve is either fully open or' fully closed, The fact that the valve is always wide'open when the flow is in the normal direction constitutes a desirable advantage, in that it reduces the resistance to the ow of liquid and, therefore, results in lower pumping costs.

Valves constructed in accordance with the present invention operate upon a pressure differential in the inlet andoutlet sides of the valve. The valve disc or closing member of the valve is operated by -a diaphragm which is responsive to the difference in pressure. Means is associated with the outlet chamber of the valve for controlling the rate of flow of the pressure iluid to the diaphragm chamber. This control means is arranged so that the valve disc operates at two speeds, i. e., it may move rapidly toward its seat during the maior portion of its travel and move at comparatively slower rate during the remainder of its travel to effect a generally quick closing and a gradual throttling of the return ow during the iinal closing of the Valve.

I'lhe primary object of the invention is to provide a check valve which will be free from the above noted objections and which will have the advantage of controlling the flow of water or other liquid without producing chattering, line shock or hammering. These objections are overcome and the advantages obtained by providing a check valve Whose closing action is denitely controlled so as to preclude line shock and hammering.

One of the important objects of the invention is to provide a check valve of the diaphragm type which is automatically responsive to the pressure of the medium passing therethrough and which Will close quietly against any return flow With a governed closing action.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a.

check valve which will close quickly through a will complete the closing movement relatively slowly; and further, which can be reopened to I its funest extent without undue delay.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a pressure operated checkV valve in which the stem of the valve is utilized, in conjunction with suitable ports, as axmeans for governing or regulating the iiow of pressure uid to a chamber to control the opening and closing of the valve.

A further object of the invention is to provide a check valve -with a guided valve disc anda co'- operating seat and choke-washer arranged to eliminate noise during opening and closing.

Another objectof the invention is to provide a checkvalve construction in which the period of closing of the valve may be adjusted or varied as desired to meet specic conditions; for example,

f in certain installations employing large diameter pipe lines of great length and valves oilarge size,

a total closing period of one to two minutes or miore may be necessary to cut oiI ow without producing line shock or hammering.

A further object of the invention is to provide a check valve which is positive in its operation and which will not waver or flutter between open and closed positions, but which in normal operation will be either completely closed or fully open; complete closing avoiding undesirable leakage through the valve, and full opening enabling 3o the valve to operate with maximum emciency without restricting or impeding flow therethrough.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an automatic check valve whichis comparatively simple in construction, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and which requires no substantial servicing.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which the single iigure illustrates an automatic check valve of the diaphragm type provided with an adjustable needle valve to reduce the ilow of pressure fluid through the valve stem into the diaphragm chamber as the valve disc approaches its limit of closing travel, whereby the closing rate of the valve can be varied as desired.

Referring now to the drawing, the letter B in- I dicates the valve body and the numerals I 'and 2,

respectively, indicate the inlet and outlet sides oi the valve. 'Ihe letter C indicates the cap of the valve and the letter D indicates a circular diaphragm whose marginal portion is clamped between the body B and the cap C by any suitable number of cap screws 3.

The body B is provided at its inlet side I with a substantially vertical partition wall portion 4 forming an inlet chamber la, and an annular wall portion 5 which cooperates with the wall 4 to form an outlet chamber 2a. The wall portions 4 and 5 are merged to provide a circular opening 6 which is threaded and adapted to receive an annular valve seat 1. The valve seat I is provided with a circular opening 8 which flares outwardly toward the bottom of the valve body as indicated at 9. The upper surface of the valve seat 'I adjacent the opening 8 is providedvwith a declining beveled portionl adapted to cooperate with a valve disc I I to form a leak-proof seal as will be explained more fully hereinafter. valve seat I is further provided with circumferential projections 'Ii adapted to be engaged by a Spanner wrench for tightly securing the seat in the threaded opening 6. A

n y y 2,325,009 y maior portion oi its closing movement and which The valve body'B has a`threaded opening I2 axially aligned with the opening 8 in the valve seat "I, An elongated plug I3" is threaded into the opening I2 and includes a tubular guide porftion I4" for one end I5" of a valve stem S3. The cap member C also has a recess lsecounterbored at II to receive a guide bushing I8 for the upper end I9 of the valve stem S3. i located in the cap member C so that it is axially 10 aligned with the tubular guide portion I4 and v the opening 8 of the valve seat l.

The valve stem S3 has a threaded portion 20 intermediate its lower end I5" and its upper end I9. The end I5" is of slightly less diameter than the threaded fportion 20 and a snugsliding iit in the tubular guide portion I4 of the plug |3".. The upper end I9 of said valve stem is enlarged to provide a shoulder at 2| and, moreover,

is snuglyguided in the bushing I8. Thus, the plug I3 and the bushing I8 arearranged to guide the valve stem S3 daring vertical movenient An upper diaphragm supporting plate 22 is adapted to be received upon the stem S3 and to abut the shoulder 2l with the upper side thereof. The upper side of the diaphragm D is engaged with the lower side of theplate 22'and is provided with an aperture 23 through which the valve stem S3 extends. The lower side of the diaphragm D is adapted to engagev the upper side of a lower diaphragm supportingplate 24, and the valve stem S3 extends through a central boss 25 in said plate. The lower supporting plate 24 is also provided with a channel 26 formed in the lower side thereof to receive the valve disc Il vpreviously referred to. A combined clamping member and choke-washer 28 is adapted tobe mounted upon the stem S3 and to engage the inner marginal portion ofA the valve disc- II. Clamping nuts 29 are threaded upon the portion 20 of the valvel stem S3 and serve to retain the valve stem, the diaphragm supporting plates 22 and 24, the valve disc Il, and the choke-washer 28 in assembled relation with the diaphragm D. The outer diameter of the clamping member or choke-washer 28 is preferably onlyv slightly less than that of the opening 8 in the valve seat l. In a six inch valve, for example, the minimum' radial clearance may be only three or four thou-I sandths of an ,inch. The peripheral portion of the choke-washer 28 is preferably rounded, as indicated Vat 8B, and is tapered outwardly and upwardly from said rounded portionV to substantially its upper outer edge as indicated at 3l.

The rounded and tapered peripheral portions of the choke-washer 28 serve to gradually cut oif the flow through the opening 8, and the beveled vportion i0 oi the valve seat 'I cooperates with the valve disc II to reduce eddying and to form a theoretical line-contact seal, whereby quiet,

' smooth and chatterless operation of the valve is obtained.

The tubular guide I4' for the lower end of the valve stem S3 is pierced by one or more transverse openings 32 arranged to establish'communi'cation between the outlet chamber 2EL of the valve' and the interior of said guide. The valve stem o S3 is provided with a longitudinal passageway 50' and an intersecting transverse passageway 5I.

Therecs-IS is.

In order to control the action of the Ivalve, and particularly its final closing movement, a needle valve 60 is provided to throttle the entrance of fluid into the passageway 50' to slow up the closing movement of the valve and thereby prevent the same from slamming shut. The needle valve IiIlis associated with the plug I3" which has a threaded bore 6I in which the needle valve 60 is adjustably mounted. The stem 62 of the needle valve is surrounded by packing 63 and a packing gland 64 is threaded into the plug I3 to compress the packing against said stem and thereby prevent leakage of fluid from the valve.

The closing action of the valve can be nicely regulated because of the variability of the restricted iiow aiiordedby the needle valve'60. Thus, the flow to the diaphragm chamber 48" will be comparatively rapid until the valve stem S3 reaches a position such that the point of the needle valve 6I) enters the passageway 50. Inasmuch as the end of theneedle valve 60 is tapered, as indicated at 65, continued downward movement of said stem relative to said needle valve will gradually decrease the supply of pressure fluid to the diaphragm chamber 48" and thereby slow up the closing action of the valve toward the-end of its closing movement.

The operation of the main valve is otherwise as follows: Let it be assumed that the outlet side 2 of the valve is connected with a pipeline, pipe system, or other apparatus in which it is desired to maintain a given pressure or pressure head. Let it be further assumed that the pressure in the outlet chamber 2 of the valve has dropped below the given pressure and below that in the inlet opening Ia. It will then be apparent from the foregoing description that a corresponding pressure drop will occur-in the diaphragm chamber 48 through the return of fluid from said chamber through the passageway D' in the valve stem S3, and the port 32" in the guide Il". This exhaust 'or return of fluid from the diaphragm chamber 48" is facilitated by the pressure of the iluid in the inlet chamber I acting upwardly upon the plate 24 and the' lower side of the diaphragm D tending to bodily raise the valve stem S3 and lift the valve disc I I from its seat to open the valve. After the valve has opened slightly, the pressure in theinlet chamber I will become effective upon the choke-washer 28` and produce a further diiferential pressure effective to open the valve.` It will be noted that the initial rate of opening of the valve is slow due to the throttling effect of the needle valve 80. However, as the valve stem S3 starts to rise, the fluid can es;- cape more rapidly from the chamber 48" through the passageways 50 and 5I in the valve stem S3 and the port 32" in the guide I4" and escape into the outlet chamber 2. In view of the fact that the passageways 5I', 50', and the ports 32 are of fairly large size, the fluid can be forced out of the diaphragmvchamber 48" at a rapid rate to thereby permit quick opening of the'valve. Any fluid in the recess lI 6 will, of course. be forced through the passage I1 by the end I9 of the valve stem S3. With further respect to the closing action of the valve, it will be understood that when a static pressure in excess of the inlet pressure prevails on the outlet side 2 of the valve, or the desired dynamic pressure has been attained,

on the outlet side of the valve, vpressure will have been built up correspondingly in the diaphragm chamber 48." by virtue of the fact that fluid under pressure passes from the outlet chamber 2* through the ports 32" in rairlylarge volume to effect a quick closing of the valve through a- S3 will then proceed at a slower rate to effect the iinal closing movement of the valve because of the comparatively reduced rate of flow of pressure fluid to the diaphragm chamber past the needle valve 60. It will be understood that the rate of restricted ilow to the diaphragm chamber 48" vmay be governedor varied as desired by proper adjustment of the needle valve 6II.

During both the opening and the closing of the valve the valve disc II is guided by the stem S3 so that it uniformly disengages and contacts the face of the seat 1. The guiding ofthe valve disc I I is important, especially during closing, because if the valve disc is not constrained it will seat upon one side first and a squeal or a noise comparable to razzing will result as it finally seats on the other side and cuts off the flow. Moreover, closing of the valve against the flow of the return stream instead of closing in the same direction with such flow eliminates slam and the hammering incident to the sudden checking o f such return flow. The choke-washer 28 also contributes to quiet operation of the valve in that it cooperates with the opening 8 in the valve seat to gradually restrict the dow and substantially cut it off just before seating of the valvev disc II` occurs thereby eliminating any tendencyv of the valve disc to flutter.

Thus it will beapparent that a'two speed check valve has been provided which is automatic and self-governing in its operation and it has the highly desirable advantage of quick opening and substantially quick closing, but whose nal closing movement is regulated so as to eliminate sudden closing of the valve with its accompanying hammering and line shock.

45 'l'his application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 332,823, filed May l, 1940, and entitled Check valves.

It will be understood that the Principles of the invention may be embodied in valvesl different from that illustrated herein without departing from the spirit of the `invention and the scope of the appended claims.

' I claim:

l. In a check valve comprising a body, a ilexible diaphragm for controlling the flow of uid through said body, and a pressure chamber for 'operating fluid above said diaphragm, said diaphragm being arranged to be actuated downwardly to effect cessation of now through said body; a valve stem connected to said diaphragm; a guide in ,said body for said valve stem, said guide being hollow and having port means for the passage of uid thereinto, said valve stem having a passageway communicating with said guide and said pressure chamber for conducting iluidfrom said guide to said pressure chamber to eiect closing of said valve; and means. cooperable with the passageway in said valve stem for decreasing the flow of fluid thereinto as said\ valve stem nears the end of its closing movement.

2. In a check valve comprising a body, a flexible diaphragm for controlling the ilow of fluid through said body, and a. pressure chamber for operating huid above'said diaphragm: a valve 75 stem connected to said diaphragm; a guide in said body forsaid valve stem, said guide being hollow and having port means for they passage of iiuid thereinto, said valvev stem having a passageway communicating with said guide and said pressure chamber for conducting iluid from said guide to said pressure chamber; and an adjust- 'able needle valve coop-arable with the passageway' in said stem for decreasing the iiow of fluid to said pressure chamber as said valve stem approaches the limit ci its closing movement.

3. A check valve comprising: a body having inlet and outlet openings; a seat between said openings; a flexible diaphragm cooperable with said decreasing the ow of uid thereinto as said valve stem nears the end of its closing movement.

4. A check valve comprising: a body having inlet and outlet openings; a seat between said opening; a flexible diaphragm cooperable with said seat for controlling the flow of iiuid between said openings, said body having a pressure chamber for operating iiuid above said diaphragm; a

' reciprocable valve stem connected with said diaphragm and extending through said seat, said valve stem having a passageway communicating with said outlet opening and said pressure chamber for conducting iiuid from said outlet opening to said pressure chamber; and an adjustable needle valve carried by said body below said stem and in alignment with said passageway in said stem for decreasing the ow of iiuid to said pressure chamber as said valve s tem approaches the limit of 'its closing movement.

5. A check valve comprising: a body having inlet' and outlet openings; a seat between said openings; a exible diaphragm cooperable with said seat for controlling the flow of uid between said openings, said body having a pressure chamber for operating iiuid for said diaphragm; a. reciprocable valve stem connected with said diaphragm and extending through said seat, saidV valve stem having a passageway communicating wthsaid outlet opening and said pressure cham' ber for conducting uid from said outlet opening to said pressure chamber; and means carried by said body below said valve stem arranged to be received in said passageway in'said valve stem frgr decreasing the ow of fluid to said pressurechamber as said valve stem approaches the limit of its closing movement.

YDONALD G. GRIswom. 

